My Fall Favorites

Oh fall. How I love you. I forget every year just how much I love fall until we get that first cool day after summer. I wanted to share the wonderful reasons to love fall to remind you how AWESOME this season is.


1. Cool weather

       I mean really, who doesn't love that nice, crisp weather after suffocating heat for months? And the cooler weather makes me want to snuggle up under a blanket and read a book (not that I don't do that all year long....).

Photo courtesy of theodysseyonline.com

2. Beautiful scenery

       You can't get the beautiful colors of fall in any other season. Watching the world change colors never ceases to take my breath away.

Photo courtesy of fanpop.com

3. Football

       I love football. I love watching it, I love going to games, I love tailgating... I could go on and on, but for your sake, I won't.

4. Boots

       I am obsessed with boots. If I could wear them all year long I would be one happy girl. I do not, however, plan on moving somewhere that has a constant winter.

5. Sweatpants

       I also love being able to come home after work, put on a nice cozy pair of sweats, and snuggle up with the Giant and the kitties. Something about hot weather, sweats, and snuggling just don't go together.

6. Holidays

       Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are my absolute favorite holidays (and yes, I get to have three favorites). I get to see cute little kids in all their costumes, spend time being thankful for my family, eat delicious feasts, and give gifts to those I love. I know Christmas is in winter, but every fall I realize how close it is (and it helps that all the Christmas decorations come out in fall).

7. Apple Cider and Hot Chocolate
       I adore apple cider. And hot chocolate. Fall gives me permission to enjoy these drinks without getting gross and sweaty because of how hot they are. The warmth is very much welcome in the fall.

8. Sweaters
       My go-to top for fall/winter. I love sweaters. Especially when I get to wear them with boots. For obvious reasons, I don't wear them in the summer (think "sauna"). Although I will say I do wear my fair share of cardigans in the summer for work. Anyone who knows me knows about my cardigan collection.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

9. Fires
       Whether it's a bonfire or a fire in the fireplace, I love getting to cozy up to the flames and feel the warmth. I have made sure the Giant knows that our next house MUST have a fireplace (and a fire pit outside).

10. TV Shows
       After a long break from your favorite shows (which, luckily, can be filled with some awesome off-season series like Royal Pains on USA), it's so satisfying to finally get the answers to whatever cliff-hanger they left you on in the spring.

Now I'm off to go enjoy the majority of the items on my list. I hope you find some joy in them too!

Favorite Finds

So I have a current obsession. And I'm kind of upset that I didn't know about this earlier. But, I know about it now, and I LOVE IT!

"Sleep" aromatherapy body lotion from Bath & Body Works. $13.00 may seem like a lot, but it's worth it. Seriously, this stuff is amazing!

I'm super picky about lotions. I don't want to feel greasy after I use it, and I want it to soak in fast so I can go about my business. I also don't want it to have a really strong smell. And I want it to actually moisturize. That is a lot to live up to. But this stuff does it! The smell is "Black Chamomile", and is impossible to describe other than luxurious. I'm usually really hesitant to try aromatherapy stuff since it is usually overpowering, but this is such a subtle scent that it doesn't bother me at all. I put it on every night when I get out of the shower, and by the time I'm done messing around in the bathroom, it's completely soaked in.

So, if you are looking for an amazing lotion, try it out! And go get some soon! The lady at Bath & Body Works told me this stuff isn't always on the shelf

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Did you know?

• 15,780 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year (American Childhood Cancer Organization)
• Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the U.S. (Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation)
• 12% of children diagnosed with cancer do not survive. That's 1 out of 8 children that are diagnosed. (CureSearch for Children's Cancer)
• In the last 20 years, only two new drugs have been developed to treat children with cancer (American Childhood Cancer Organization)
• There are 16 major types of pediatric cancers and over 100 sub-types (Coalition Against Childhood Cancer)

Childhood cancer does not discriminate between socioeconomic class, race, religion, or geographic region. Any child at any age can be affected by it. There is not always a "cause" as to why a child has cancer -  it is often random. Chances are, you know a family that has been affected by childhood cancer. If you do, you know the devastation it can cause, even when the child survives. 

Awareness needs to be raised for childhood cancer. There isn't near enough research going into cures for this terrible disease, nor is there enough research into the long-term effects of cancer and cancer treatments. These young, innocent children deserve to have people fighting for their health. They deserve to have a childhood that isn't plagued by trips to the hospital, losing their hair, or being unable to attend normal childhood activities.

Please, share some of these facts with people you know. The more people are aware of childhood cancer, the more help can be provided to these children.

Feeling Blessed

This has been a hard week at work. We suffered a great loss, and our office has been reeling. Seeing the affected family today made me stop and think about how blessed I am. I always try to thank God for everything He has given me, but I know I don't do it often enough. I hate that it takes moments like I've had all week to remind me of how lucky I am, but it's hit me hard this week.

I have two amazing families (mine and the Giant's)

My Family

The Giant's Family

I have the best husband in the world

The Giant and Me

I have great friends

I have cuddly fur-babies

Beckett and Ellie

I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, a nice car to drive, and a job to support me. I am healthy and happy. 

Remember to hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them. Count your blessings every day. It can be taken away from you in an instant, so don't ever take things for granted!

My goal is to better about this every day of my life.

Migraine Relief Helpline

Sweet girl waiting on Momma to recover from a migraine

Right off the bat, I want everyone to know I am NOT a doctor and I am NOT claiming any of these remedies are sanctioned by doctors. These come from my experience with suffering from chronic migraines, and the things that have helped me. I'm hoping some (or even just one) of these will help a fellow migraine sufferer.

So what is a migraine?

The Mayo Clinic defines a migraine as "intense throbbing or a pulsing sensation in one area of the head and is commonly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound." 

Basically, you feel like you are dying, and all you want to do is hide in a dark, quiet room. That usually isn't feasible, since migraines can strike at any time. And, if you're like me, you don't get auras to warn you it's coming. Since I have migraines so often, I have learned to tell when one is coming on, but it isn't accurate (usually I start to feel like my brain is foggy, I can't concentrate, and I get a weird feeling that is impossible to describe - all of which happens when I'm extremely tired).

So, here are some remedies that I have tried that have worked for me in the past:

1. Taking a nap/sleeping

Seriously. If you can, sleep. You sleep through the worst of the pain, and the nausea/vomiting/crankiness/feeling like death that comes with it.

2. Lie in a dark room

Sometimes the pain is so bad, you can't sleep. Lying in a pitch black room is the next best thing. Make sure there is zero stimuli in the room you are in - no phones, radios, TVs, etc.

3. Eat a small snack

Eating a snack has given me precious minutes to get home, or to get to where I can rest in the dark. Something like a granola bar, a handful of nuts, or a small serving of fruit is best.

4. Ice pack/heating pad

While you are laying in the dark, put an ice pack on your forehead, and a heating pad on the back of your neck. Switch after 10-15 minutes. This helps almost every single time.

5. Cool shower

Take a cool shower in the dark. No shampooing or soaping. Just sit and relax.

6. Rub your head

Rubbing your head in small circles over and over (or getting someone to do it for you) helps tremendously

7. Take magnesium daily

This actually came recommended by a neurologist. I split a 400mg tablet of magnesium in half and take one half twice a day, every day. I have tried Migrelief, but I experienced more side effects and a lot more every day headaches (but my migraines were down). Magnesium has worked best for me.

8. Drink a small amount of caffeine

I'm not sure how much I drink as far as ounces, but usually about 1/4 of a can of soda or the equivalent in iced tea.

9. Medication

Before my migraines started happening every day, I took several kinds of abortive medication (Imitrex, Maxalt, etc), and they helped tremendously. Unfortunately I got to the point where I had no more options, and nothing was working. Now I take 2 Tylenol or Excedrin Extra Strength and 3 Advil at the onset of the migraine. This also helps give precious minutes to find a dark hole to hide in.

I have also tried preventive medication (medicine you take daily to prevent migraines - nortriptyline, amitriptyline, etc.). These helped as well, until I hit the same issues as with the abortive medications.

These tips I have heard, but I haven't tried:

1. Cold/hot

Place a bag of frozen peas (or an ice pack) on the back of your neck. Place your hands and feet in as hot of water as you can stand. Stay that way as long as you can.

2. Lemon coffee

You read right. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into a cup of strong black coffee. No sugar, no cream. Sounds nasty, right? But the lady who told me this swore by it. I haven't had the courage to try this one yet.

3. Essential oils

I haven't tried essential oils for anything. Strong smells instantly trigger migraines for me, so I avoid them when I can. But I have heard amazing things about them from other people!

So what are your tried and true tricks to kicking a migraine? Have any of these worked for you?

Vacation Time!

The giant and I rarely go on vacations. We enjoy the time away, but we both prefer spending our money on other things, or saving for our future. Since vacationing is a rare occurrence for us, we get REALLY excited when we get to go somewhere fun.

Last month, we went with the giant's parents to Fredericksburg, Texas. I have never been to that part of Texas, so I was really excited. The giant's parents graciously paid for our hotel room for the stay as a birthday gift to the two of us (our birthdays are one month apart). We were also able to carpool down there, saving on gas.

The Thursday before my birthday, the giant and I worked until noon. We decided to take off work early and get the driving out of the way (it was a 7 hour drive) so that we could have all day Friday to begin our vacation. The drive down was BORING. I took my iPad so I could read, but there were several times I was so anxious to get out of the car that I couldn't focus. When we FINALLY got to Fredericksburg, we dropped our things off at the hotel and went to a German restaurant for dinner. After we ate dinner, we walked around downtown Fredericksburg to scope out anything we wanted to do during our stay. Since our hotel wasn't far from downtown, Jeremy and I walked back to stretch our legs after the long ride.

Fredericksburg is in a part of Texas known as Texas Hill Country. People have discovered the soil in this area is excellent for growing vineyards. The giant's father had a goal to hit EVERY winery in the area before we came home. Luckily we were able to avoid that (we only hit ALMOST every winery).

Since I'm not a drinker, I mostly took pictures of the wineries. I got especially excited when a winery had animals for me to photograph/play with.

Cows next to the first winery we went to

Guineas

One of the most colorful roosters I have ever seen!

This poor girl got shaved, so she looked a little silly

It was hot, so the dogs were laying on the cement trying to cool off

The same rooster

Kitty that was napping on people that were sitting at the winery

Tiny little birds outside of Texas Hill Country Olive Company

Wild jackrabbit outside the last winery we went to (this was as close as I got)

We were able to meet up with some friends of the giant's parents that he has known most of his life. They live not far from the area, so we got to catch up with them and their families.

One set of friends took us to The Salt Lick on Sunday for lunch. This was genuinely the best barbecue I have ever tasted. If you are ever in the area, TRY IT! You won't regret it. The giant bought their cookbook so we can try to replicate some of their recipes.

We tried several other restaurants in the area, but The Salt Lick is the only one that was truly memorable for the taste of the food. There is a bat cave near Fredericksburg that we wanted to see, but it was too early for bats. So, we ate at the Alamo Springs Cafe on Friday. We were told the burgers were great and it wasn't far from the bat cave. The burgers turned out decent, but we got to see someone try the Jefe challenge - 6 beef patties, 6 slices of cheese, and a large order of fries, which must be consumed in 30 minutes or less, with a 15 minute wait period at the table after you finished. We didn't see him finish, but at the rate he was going, I doubt he did.

The thing I was most excited about, other than The Salt Lick, was Der Kuchen Laden. It was similar to Williams-Sonoma, but more affordable. And it was HUGE. The giant and I went in there while others were enjoying some beer at a brewery. We thought we were in there for 20 minutes, but it was closer to an hour. I found a cute olive oil bottle and a funny cat towel for the kitchen. I definitely could have spend $1,000 in there!

On Saturday, before we hit wineries, we went to the National Museum of the Pacific War. Outside of the museum is a courtyard covered with metal plaques that commemorate soldiers, ships, and planes that fought in the war. I found the plaque for the U.S.S. Oklahoma, so of course I took a picture.

"Veterans Walk of Honor - Admiral Nimitz Museum"

There were pillars honoring the ten consecutive presidents that served in World War II. I didn't get a picture of each pillar, but this is the sign telling what is being commemorated.

They also had some cool stuff sitting outside the museum.

Torpedo housing (way bigger than I thought it would be!)

 

There were too many words to read for my liking, but the giant really enjoyed it, and I got some cool pictures. 

Atomic bomb (I thought this thing would fill a huge room. Not so much.)

I even got lucky enough to drive through a sculpture garden and visit a gallery (I was honestly surprised anyone else was willing to do this). I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that enjoyed it.

What a view!

 

Not a sculpture, but this tree was really cool

 

The drum actually worked!

The only picture of the art inside the gallery I got

Photo from The Scuplture Ranch and Galleries Facebook page

While the rest of the gang recovered from tasting wine all day, the giant's mom and I walked through some shops downtown. There was a wide variety of stores, and they covered a wide variety of prices. We went into an art gallery that had a painting for sale for $20,000! Needless to say we walked out of there pretty fast. We did find a candy store that had chocolate covered bacon, chocolate covered jalapenos, and tons of fudge. We got 6 pieces of fudge to share, and got the guys the jalapeno and bacon. No one was a fan of the jalapeno or the bacon, but the fudge was excellent.

On Sunday, we went to Twisted X Brewery. I got some pictures of a cool tree they have outside that has different carvings in it. This is the only place I got a picture of the giant and me.

I don't remember what day we went here, but the Fat Ass Ranch and Winery was definitely the most interesting winery we went to. I liked it enough to get a magnet.

"Put Your Butts Right Here"

 

 

It was so nice to get to go somewhere fun, and we really enjoyed getting to see friends we don't see very often. We came back on Monday, the day before my birthday, so we got a full three days of vacation time in.

Here are some random pictures I took on the trip:

Cacti everywhere!

Baby grapes!

Huge agave plant

Baby peaches!

Lavender farm

Lavender farm